‘GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL’ DROPS INTO THE RANCH

THE SATURDAY BOYS….RAY, AL AND TERRY

The Ranch we are at is 80 acres with nearly 4 acres totally fenced in with Coyote proof fencing. Pretty nice for us to just open our door and let the furry guys out to run and explore wherever they want.  Even little Motor is out and all over the place.  So great to see the dogs just being able to be dogs.  Again, we are so fortunate to be where we are.

 

Doc Kelly is really socking the liquids to me.  Oceans and oceans of Cranberry juice for starters.  Fresh lemons mixed with Olive Oil.  Hydrangea Root pills plus something called Super Colon Cleanse.  WOW, is that stuff ever a rush and at 2 a.m. this morning I was finally clear of a rapidly worsening 3 day problem.  She mixes up a few drops of a Stone Breaker compound and down the hatch that goes.  That one tastes pretty yucky.  Celery juice or something.  Intersperse all that with some Milk of Magnesia and I am a walking time bomb.

 

MY KIDNEY STONE BUSTING ARMY AND KELLY SQUEEZING A LEMON

I have stopped using the Oxycodone pain pills because I think it is those pills that are giving me the overall sick feeling which in turn is killing my appetite.  The 800mg Ibuprofens are not lasting the hoped for 8 hours so I’m taking them every 6 to 7 hours.  If I run out of those guys I will be in some trouble for sure.  Hope to re-new that prescription in Tucson Wednesday if Doc Kelly can’t blast that stone out of me.

Terry and Martha from GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL dropped into the Ranch this morning around 10:30.  Although we had never met them we have been following their blog for awhile now and we knew they were in the area.  Jeanie & Ray had wondered if we knew any folks who might be interested in staying at the Ranch for a bit after we leave in mid January.  Terry and Martha came to mind because of their outdoor interests, love of animals, and familiarity with farms and ranches.

JEANIE EXPLAINS HOW SHE DESIGNED THE HOUSE AND HOW HER AND RAY BUILT IT

  

AN ORIENTATION WALK AROUND THE RANCH AND RAY EXPLAINS TO TERRY HOW THE HOUSE IS BUILT OUT OF STRAW BALES

Always nice to meet fellow travelers and especially fellow bloggers.  They have a Beagle named Charlie so Jeanie introduced all the dogs and away we all went for walk around the 3.6 acres of fenced in property getting to know each other.  I took a pass on the house tour because I was feeling a little sick so hung out in the rig till all the folks came outside again.  Ray showed Terry and I a few procedures he generally does with the ATV while the ladies walked all the way around the property again.

SAY, YOU DON’T SUPPOSE AL IS…..NAWWWW, HE WOULDN’T DO THAT

As with almost all people we have met in our travels Terry and Martha are your very typical easy to get to know RV folks.  We are so fortunate to have such a helping and tight knit little Blogging community out here where trust has already been established well before meeting anyone.  Like Martha said to me when I met her, “I feel I already know you.’  And yes, in the Blog World that is often the case as we all follow each other’s blogs almost daily.

Nancy over at the OREGON WANDERERS has just become our 394TH Blog Follower.  Welcome aboard.  Nancy is new to the blogging world and has just dipped her toe into the vast ocean of Blog Land.  Might want to drop by with a, “come on in, the water’s fine”:))  GRETCHENDM & KAREN FISCHER also climbed aboard bringing us ever closer to the 400 Blog Followers mark.  Thanks folks and the Bayfield Bunch welcomes you all aboard.

While in the Tucson LAZY DAYS service yard a few days ago a fellow RV Blogger drove by and took a picture of our rig.  I was probably home but Kelly must have been out with the Jeep somewhere.  I like the old tumble down house LARRY has for his header picture.  Looks like something Kelly and I would like:))

PHEEBS WAS TOTALLY KNOCKED OUT AFTER HER BIG DAY OF VISITING

A little confusion about SALVATION MOUNTAIN'S LEONARD KNIGHT.  It was his care giver Kevin Eubanks who suddenly died recently.  Far as we know, Leonard is still alive, but in a care facility.  Hope I got that right.

It’s not everyone who gets right into that old Christmas spirit including Kelly and I but for you folks who do I suggest you slip over to KAREN AND STEVE'S where they cut down their own real Christmas tree each year, decorate it, light a warm cozy fire in the fireplace and listen to Christmas carols.  Oh how that brings back many old pleasant memories for me when I was a wee kid growing up in the small village of Tavistock Ontario, Canada.

RANCH DOG GLEASON CHECKS OUT HIS MOM & DAD’S MOTOR HOME 

My appetite slowly returned late this afternoon after the sick feeling went away and I was able to eat half a baked potato and a small BBQ’d steak.  Washed that down with a cold glass of milk and a peanut butter & honey sandwich.  Now, if we can just get this darned stone out of me.

RANCHER RAY

GROANER’S CORNER  George had invited the pastor and his wife for dinner, and it was little Joey's job to set the table. But when it came time to eat, Joey's mother said with surprise, "Why didn't you give Mrs. Brown a knife and fork dear?".
"I didn't think I needed to," Joey explained, "I heard Daddy say she always eats like a horse."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

NOT ONE OF MY BETTER DAYS

QUIET DAYS IN THE OLD CORRAL

The pain had me awake at 4 a.m. so it was a quick scramble to get a couple pills down.  Twenty minutes later I was OK…..for awhile.  Can’t imagine how awful it must have been for people years ago before all the pain killing meds were invented and available.

Twinkling stars from horizon to horizon last night and oh how I love to see that.

THERE WAS A LOT OF DONKEY DOG SMOOCHING GOING ON TODAY AGAIN

Leonard Knight was recently hospitalized and diagnosed as incapable of managing his life.  Leonard will be spending his remaining days at a nursing home in El Cajon, California.  And, just who is Leonard Knight.  Anyone who has ever been to Slab City has seen SALVATION MOUNTAIN.  Kelly and I toured through Leonard’s creation back on December 18th of 2007.  Leonard had gone into town that morning so we did not get to meet him.  Fortunately, another old timer and friend of his showed us all around.  You can see my photos of that day here at, SALVATION MOUNTAIN AND SLAB CITY.  My post for that day can be found here at, SLAB CITY...WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY.  

MOTOR DIDN’T COME FOR A WALK WITH PHEEBS AND I BUT DID KEEP AN EYE ON US FROM ATOP HER LITTLE PERCH

Looks like some low life scumball has hacked my Facebook account.  For anyone who has me on their Facebook, do not confirm any ‘Friends’ requests from me.  I suggest you block my hacked account.  It is not me sending out those phony money schemes.  I may dump my Facebook account anyway because I don’t use it for anything other than posting my daily blogs.  Somebody said something about changing the Password  but we’ll see.  I’m not big on those social media sites to begin with whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Dinosaur Dung, or Floppy Jaws a Flappin!!  Update…. Kelly has changed my Facebook password so we’ll see if that has fixed the problem.  Despite all the Gobblygook stuff on Facebook I guess it is still best to have at least one alternate communication site at one’s disposal.

Sure don’t know how I would get along without Kelly.  She spent hours on the computer this morning researching this Kidney Stone thing.  The general consensus among many kidney stone sufferers is that there are alternate ways to try and get rid of the stone oneself.  I have nothing to lose by trying some methods that many have had success with.  It basically involves lots of lemon juice and olive oil.  Right now as I type this at 11:30 a.m. Kelly is off to a favorite health food store in Douglas to acquire ingredients.  I also started on Milk of Magnesia this morning because those pain killing pills have a miserable little side effect.  Let’s just say my eyes are just about bulging out of my head right about now.

Nice sunny day with milder temps but the wind sure has begun to kick up.  Bad weather west of here has caused Jeanie and Ray to delay their departure time until Monday.  They have one mountain pass to go through and don’t want to be doing that in bad weather.

<<< THESE TWO WILL JUST NOT GIVE IT UP

Want to say thanks to everyone for your thoughts, ideas and willingness to help in any way shape or form.  We sure have a lot of best friends out here in the RVing community who we have never met.  We do have another RV Blogging couple rolling in Saturday to say Hello and meet Jeanie and Ray plus ourselves as well.  They are the folks who will be looking after things here at the Ranch when we roll out heading further west next month. 

By the way, I have no intentions whatsoever of returning to Ontario to have this Kidney Stone problem dealt with.  Don’t know what is going to happen but I will fight that option every inch of the way.  I know the insurance company is only looking out for their bottom line and not my health condition so we may have a nasty bit of business coming up!!  As in the words of RETIRED ROD,  “As far as returning to Canada for the procedure, that's just nuts! What did you buy US insurance for?”  Well Rod, those are our feelings exactly!!

Sun is going down so gonna wrap this day up early.  Just not feeling the best and I suspect it’s those pain pills.  Pheebs and I did manage to slip out around the Ranch to snap us a few pics for tonight’s post.  Kelly returned with a whole pile of Kidney Stone busting stuff plus a bag of fresh lemons.  Maybe tomorrow I will explain what kind of a treatment plan she has me on.  Sure got a lot of ingredients here that would not be my first choice for yumminess in the old taste test department…….  Not one of my better days, but we always have tomorrow, eh:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  With the help of a fertility specialist, a 65 year old woman has a baby. All her relatives come to visit and meet the newest member of their family.  When they ask to see the baby, the 65 year old mother says "not yet."
Finally they say, "When can we see the baby?"  And the mother says, "When the baby cries."  They all ask, "Why do we have to wait until the baby cries?"
The new mother says, "because I forgot where I put it."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

THE BAYFIELD BUNCH MEETS BAYFIELD’S STORMRUNNER AT THE BBC

THIS LITTLE BANTY ROOSTER IS QUITE VOCAL ABOUT HIS PRESENCE

(THURSDAY’S POST)

It was a familiar sound in the air at daybreak this morning.  As long time reader’s know, the Ranch borders on Arizona’s WHITEWATER DRAW which is just a mile down the road.  The air is alive every day with thousands of Sand Hill Cranes flying back and forth between their night time roosting area and their feeding grounds further up the valley.  Great swirling flocks high above the ground at times and other times I have seen them at roof top level right over the Ranch struggling into the heavy gusting westerly winds trying get home for the night.  I have countless Sand Hill Crane photos from the past few years so will try to keep things down to a dull roar this year.

 

EARLY MORNING SAND HILL CRANES HEADING FOR THEIR FEEDING GROUNDS UP THE VALLEY

Received an email late yesterday from some friends of ours from Bayfield.  They were in Benson just north of us.  Harry and Dianne from STORMRUNNER RV SALES AND SERVICE decided to head West this year and take a break from winters in Florida.  Dianne has been reading our blog for about 4 or 5 years now and just wanted to head west and see some of the things I have been blogging about over the years.  They were heading for Tombstone this morning so I suggested they come a little farther and meet us in Bisbee.

  

PHEEBS MEETS THE DONKEYS THIS MORNING FOR THE FIRST TIME

EEEUUUUUU, THOSE GUYS GOT BAD BREATH

As we rolled into one end of the parking lot at the big Lavender Pit mine in Bisbee around 11 a.m. Harry, Dianne, and their dog Sport rolled in from the other end in their truck and truck camper.   They generally travel with one of their large Carriage 5th wheel but decided for there western trip they would do the truck and camper.

SITTING DOWN TO BREAKFAST AT THE BISBEE BREAKFAST CLUB (BBC)

 

BREAKFAST OVER, HARRY HEADS OUT THE DOOR AND DOWN THE STREET OF BISBEE’S OLD LOWELL

Great to see them and it’s the first time we have ever met anyone here in the southwest from back home that we knew.  Chatted us up a storm & then headed the short distance to the BBC.  ‘Bisbee Breakfast Club’.  Harry sure had himself a big mess of biscuits and gravy.  I’m going to have to try that sometime.  Harry insisted on picking up the tab and we thank him for that.

NOW HERE’S A COUPLE NICE DOLLY’S POSING FOR A PICTURE

 

 

AWWWW YES, THE MEMORIES:))

Had us a walk down yesteryear’s Erie Street in Bisbee’s old Lowell district.  This is a really neat old street that time has just forgotten about.  It’s not a restored old street….it’s a real and authentic old street with broken windows, empty store fronts and weeds in the cracks of the sidewalks.  Real dust and dirt in the streets and some old cars and trucks that just kind of hang out there. 

<<< YEP, THEY’RE STILL POSING

At the bottom of Erie Street and across the eastern highway leading into Bisbee lies the SHADY DELL 1950'S TRAILER PARK where old restored travel trailers can be rented for a couple days or a couple weeks.  Instead of staying at a motel you can stay in real 1950’s trailers.

CHECKING OUT THE SHADY DELL’S VINTAGE TRAILER PARK

From there it was back up Erie Street to pick up the vehicles and head on into the main part of Bisbee just west of the big Lavender Pit.  Had ourselves a walk around a few backstreets and downtown Bisbee.   Weather was perfect and the surrounding mountains looked so nice backgrounding the vivid and varied colors of Bisbee’s many artsy buildings dating back into the 1800’s..  Dianne is like me….it is all about the scenery here in the west.

HAD US A WALK-ABOUT ON BISBEE’S BACK STREETS

 

MANY STAIRS TO CLIMB IN BISBEE AS HARRY HEADS UP BREWERY GULCH

We said our good-byes to Dianne, Harry and Sport in front of the Bisbee Coffee Roasters shop.  They were heading back to Benson & then to Tucson for a gun show on Saturday.  We may catch up with them again in Yuma next month.

  

 

BYE GUYS, SEE YA LATER IN YUMA MAYBE…….

Kelly picked up few things at one of her favorite places, the High Desert Market and Café.  We were back at the ranch about half an hour later.  So nice to be back in Bisbee again.  Some people come here, look in a few shops, maybe have a bite to eat and leave again never having the experience that is truly Bisbee.  Some just drive through or past Bisbee but Bisbee is the type of place where you have to get out of your vehicle and get your boots on the ground and start walking.   If you have any kind of creativity about you there’s a real good chance you will appreciate what Bisbee has to offer.  Not a commercial tourist trap, just a simple little town built by a bunch of hard working miners way back in the 1800’s.  The miners are long gone but the little town is still here:))

COULD IT BE DIANE IS CONFRONTING ONE OF BISBEE’S HOMELESS CHARACTERS……NAW, IT’S JUST ME

SAY DI, DID YA HEAR THE ONE ABOUT…….

SHE’S THINKING ABOUT IT

SHE JUST GOT IT….:))

Not being used to taking medications it’s quite a challenge for me to remember to take my 800mg Ibuprofen every 8 hours.  I have been avoiding taking the Oxycondone and am saving those high powered guys in case of an emergency.  I’m afraid this whole medical thing is beginning to turn into a bit of a nightmare for us.

ON A BISBEE WALL

Kelly spent a long time on the phone this morning trying to get me in to a Urologist in Sierra Vista but no go.  Also found out our trip back to Tucson is only the beginning of a 3 step procedure that will take 3 weeks and two additional trips.  We are also aware of the fact our insurance company may very well balk at having the procedure done here in the States.  They have been known to force people to return to Canada for things like this so we have ourselves a bit of a dilemma shaping up.

PEEK-A-BOO BUS AT SHADY DELL

And the size of the Kidney Stone itself is beginning to cause us concern.  Kelly had a long talk with the Urologist’s office in Sierra Vista this afternoon and they said the size of the Kidney Stone is going to create it’s own problems.  Oh dear.  After all these years of being basically Doctor and Hospital free it looks like it just may be time for Al to finally pay the Piper.

CHARLIE THE CAT KEEPS A WARY EYE ON PHEEBS FROM ATOP A PILE OF HAY BALES

Nice being here at the Ranch spending time with Jeanie & Ray before they head out in their Motor Home in a couple days for points west.  A couple of down to earth people like ourselves and we all get along well.  Tomorrow morning we will go through the ranch procedures.  Ray will re-orient me once again on the delicate procedure of milking the chickens.  No horses this year but I will have to share my peanut butter and honey sandwiches with the Donkeys again.  I taught ranch dog Pearce to wait for a smooch before I fed him 3 years ago and he still remembered that as I put a smooch on his little black doggy nose before feeding him this afternoon.  Yes, we always love being here at the Ranch in Arizona’s Cochise County.  And, Pheebs is just having a blast racing around all over the place with no worries to us for her safety.  We are completely fenced in by acres of Coyote proof fencing.  Even little Motor is free to wander and she is having a blast as well. 

PHEEBS AND GLEESON

All 4 dogs get along great and it’s fun to watch Peebs and Gleeson playing together.  A couple years ago we had as many as 6 dogs here some days and I just loved getting out on the grass and playing with the guys.  We had some really great zany times:))

RAY TAKES OUT SOME HAY FOR PONCHO AND SARAH

I will have to pay closer attention to the spacing between my posts paragraphs.  Live Writer and Blogger sometimes have conflicts of interest in how things are done.  I always leave a space between paragraphs when writing the blog but sometimes Blogger does not interpret what Live Writer is doing, or vice versa.

MOTORMOUSE KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON MY SUPER TONIGHT

The Bayfield Bunch welcomes 3 new Blog Followers today.  Not sure if PAGE is WINNIE VIEWS: A GIRL'S GUIDE TO TOWING WITH A TOAD.  I checked PAGE’S profile and saw the above link on it.  HEINZRVJOURNEY is followed by FOXY to round out the 3 new Followers.  Thanks guys, I appreciate your interest.

DAY’S END IN THE SULPHUR SPRINGS VALLEY…ARIZONA:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A swimming instructor at a Los Angeles university was quizzing a group of students on Red Cross life saving and water safety techniques.
They answered all of her questions easily until she posed this one: "Which article of clothing would you remove last if you fell from a boat or dock fully clothed?"
Everyone mentioned something different. It was evident that no one knew the correct answer, so the instructor helped out. "The blouse," she said, "because the air gets under the blouse and acts like a buoy!"
The subsequent uproar ended the class.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.